BOYS HOCKEY: Hanover advances to Div. 3 state final

Pat Nevins scored twice Wednesday night, and Matt McDougall shook off a leg injury to add a goal as the Indians bounced Wayland, 3-0, in the state semifinals.

Eric McHugh The Patriot Ledger

BOURNE – Matt McDougall lay flat on his back in the neutral zone, staring up at the ceiling of Gallo Arena and wishing that his leg would stop throbbing.

That hurt.

At the end of the night – a few seconds after the final horn had blared – he was back on his feet and part of a delirious pig-pile of humanity squashed up against the boards.

That felt a whole lot better.

McDougall got off the deck Wednesday to score a breathing-room goal midway through the third period, and fellow captain Pat Nevins struck twice – first into an open net and then into an empty net with 9 seconds left – as the Hanover High boys hockey team booked passage to the Promised Land, also known as TD Garden.

A 3-0 conquest of Wayland in the Division 3 state semifinals sends the Indians on to Sunday’s championship game. Hanover (18-7) will bring a nine-game winning streak to Causeway Street for an 11 a.m. showdown with either Shrewsbury (19-2-1) or Westfield (14-5-3). Those teams play their semifinal tonight in Springfield.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Nevins. “About one percent of the (hockey) population ever gets this chance.”

“It’s going to be unreal,” McDougall agreed. “First time ever playing there (for me). It’s going to be great. Can’t wait.”

The lowlight of a dreary first period for Hanover came when McDougall collided with a Wayland player and crumpled to the ice with 3:49 left. He stayed down several minutes before skating off very gingerly.

“I didn’t know what was the matter,” he said. “I was hoping I could get up and finish.”

Considering that McDougall leads the team in goals (he’s at 21 now), that hope was shared by everyone on the Hanover bench.

“Matt plays a hard-nosed game,” Indians coach Jonny Abban said. “He took a good lump there, but my feeling was that he would be back at some point. I went over and saw him and he said he was hurt but not that bad. He’s been a goal-scorer this year, and a true leader. Just a super kid.”

It was a tough night for scoring stars overall. Wayland played without junior Nick Morgan (27 goals), who reportedly had a shoulder injury. That no doubt contributed to a snoozer of an opening 15 minutes that featured five total shots (three for Wayland).

“We came out flat,” Abban admitted. “That wasn’t the game plan.”

Never fear, though. The Indians have been figuring things out for a good four weeks, and this game proved to be no different.

Wayland (15-6-3) made a crucial mistake early in the second – one of its defensemen tried to skate the puck through his own goal crease – and Hanover pounced. Mike McGlame forced a turnover in the left-wing circle. Nevins, prowling between the hashmarks, punctuated the flurry by snapping a loose puck into the net with Wayland goalie Ben Boschetto pulled out of position at the right post at 3:44.

Strong work from Hanover goalie Noah Clapp preserved the slim lead until McDougall made it 2-0 at 6:18 of the third, converting from deep on the left wing.

“I just saw that (Boschetto) gave me the far side,” McDougall said. “I just tried to put it there and it tipped off something and went in.”

Wayland pulled Boschetto for an extra skater with more than two minutes left, and Nevins applied the finishing touch, shaking off a few slashes on his way to the vacated net.

Did that hurt?

“That’s why I pointed to the fans (after the goal), to show them that I don’t feel nothin’,” Nevins said with a smile.

McDougall was still feeling something after the game.

“It’s right above my knee,” he said of his injury. “It’s feeling all right. I’m definitely going to have to ice it for a while now. But I was very capable of skating on it. I’m a senior. I gotta play through it.”

That pretty much sums up Hanover’s approach.

“These kids have been (committed) all year,” Abban said. “I remember sitting down before the year with the five captains and talking about how their goal was to go to the Boston Garden. They live it. I couldn’t be more proud.”